Ministry Overview

Purpose of Ministry

Since its establishment in 1912 as the Forests Branch, the Ministry of Forests and Range (also known as the Forest Service) has continued to protect the public's interest and provide leadership in the protection, management and use of the province's forest and rangelands.

The Forest Service is the main agency responsible for the stewardship of 47 million hectares of provincial forest land and fire protection services for 84 million hectares. The Ministry's role also includes maintaining a policy and regulatory framework that creates competitive forest and range industries. Managing provincial forests and range resources presents a unique and complex set of challenges. More than 90 per cent of British Columbia's forestlands are publicly owned, which means the provincial government, on behalf of the public, plays a much more prominent role in the forest sector than its counterparts in other forestry jurisdictions.

The Ministry pursues its goals for sustainable forest and range resources and benefits in a consultative manner with the public, forest and range industries, and other Crown agencies, while recognizing the unique interests of Aboriginal people. In this way, the Ministry works to earn the public's trust as our staff make the day-to-day decisions, which ensure that all British Columbians can look forward to sustainable forests and range and a strong forest economy now and in the future.

The Office of Housing and Construction Standards (the Office) brings together key areas of government devoted to improving access to safe and stable housing for all British Columbians. The Office is responsible for provincial housing policy, building policy (including the BC Building Code and the BC Fire Code), safety policy (relating to mechanical products and systems and work practices), and the Residential Tenancy Branch.

In the coming year, the Office will continue work on two major initiatives:

• Implementation of the Provincial Housing Strategy; and
• Modernization of regulatory systems to achieve safety in the design, construction and occupancy of buildings.

Services are delivered directly by the Office or through our service delivery partners, the BC Housing Management Commission and the Homeowner Protection Office. See Appendix 2 for a list of our clients and the services we provide.